Tithi Joshi was all gungho about her trip to the US this summer. The 22-year-old MCA student had planned the trip with her friends and had made a long list of mustvisit tourist spots and high-end fashion stores. Till, Trump put a spanner in her plans by announcing changes in travel and immigration policies. Not wanting to face any sort of hassle during their trip, Tithi and her friends decided to tour Europe instead. Gujaratis are among India’s most prolific travellers, and there’s no denying their penchant for the West.

With the US tightening visa rules for outsiders, though, there has been a massive drop in summer tourists from the state, said travel experts. Many travellers with plans to head to the US for leisure or even business are reassessing or even cancelling their trips in response to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and travel ban. Till last year, New York, Washington, Niagara Falls, Orlando, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon in the US were on top of the list for Amdavadi tourists.

“Over the past three years, we have been doing business worth Rs 80 crore every year by sending tourists to the US. This time, we have hardly made Rs 20 crore. Gujaratis are known for their love of travel but most of them are scared that they would have to face a lot of hassle by travelling to the US. So, most of them are exploring options in Canada and Europe for their summer vacation,” says Manish Sharma, managing director of a leading travel agency in the city.

Visa applications rejected

Applicants and their documents are being vetted rigorously by officials at the consulate in Mumbai. Pravin Patel has travelled with his family to England, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Yet, the consulate rejected their application for a US visa. The 41-year-old stock broker says, “I was planning a 10-day trip to the US with my two kids this summer. At the consulate, they asked us a lot of questions about my work, my kids, their education etc. After grilling us for 15 minutes, they asked us to wait. A while later, some other official came, looked through our documents and told us that our application has been rejected. I still do not know what went wrong.”

The Patels have now chalked up a plan to tour Europe. Hemal Shah a 23-year-old MBA student, also faced a similar situation. “The officials at the consulate asked me four questions then rejected my application. My interview did not last for even four minutes. I was planning to visit the US and meet some of my friends. Now, I will go to Europe. Trump’s policies will hit America hard as income through tourism makes up for a large chunk of their economy,” he says.

Chandkheda resident Rajesh Patel, a 48-year-old realtor, says, “My dentist daughter, undergraduate son, my wife and I applied for visa for a 12-day trip to the US. We went to the consulate in the first week of March. They asked us questions about our work and kids then rejected our application. I can understand if this stand is being taken against people wanting to live there, but we just wanted to visit the country for a couple of days. They still rejected our plea.”

Confirming the increase in rejection of visa applications and decrease in tourists wanting to go to the US, President of Tour Operators and Travel Agents Association of Gujarat Manoj Shah says, “There has been over 25 per cent decrease in number of tourists to the US from here. Many of them fear that their visa applications will be rejected. Others do not want to be detained and interrogated at US airports for being outsiders. Then, there are those who fear they might get stuck in the US or are thrown out if Trump suddenly decided to implement some other policy change or ban.”

Dharmadeep Raol, owner of a travel agency near Income-Tax Crossing, says, “This time, there’s been almost 40 per cent drop in the number of tickets we usually book for the US during summers.” However, vice-president of another travel agency, Sanjeev Chhajer, says, “Our business has not been affected. In fact, it has increased.”

Revenue loss for US

The Trump government has made more than four major visa changes in just over two months, and New York, among the most popular tourist destinations in the US, has already experienced the impact of the ‘Trump Slump’. The city has forecast its first decline in tourism numbers to 12.4 million (more than 2 per cent drop) this year, the first decline after eight consecutive annual increases. Los Angeles and Miami may also experience decreases. International visitors spent about $250 billion (Rs 16,27,125 crore approx) in the US last year. The contribution of tourism industry to US GDP is 10.2 per cent, of which Asia Pacific region alone contributes 2.8 per cent. Tourism economists in the US are already predicting a whopping 4.3 million fewer foreign visitors to the US this year, an estimated $7.4 billion (Rs 48,144 crore approx.) loss of revenue.

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